The Foundry
Laid to rest in this empty foundry, implements of labor conjure a crew of ghosts. Louis Lafon depicts the space as one might a tomb, its contents unlikely relics of a civilization still in the making. Photographing what one French engineer called "the state of progress," Lafon won recognition for his inky oversized prints of new factories and machines. But barely visible against this foundry’s far wall, behind the stacked steel molds and towering hoist, a crucifix and a religious roundel rest on the floor. These could point to an earlier use of the space, and perhaps complicate its claim on modernity.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Foundry
- Artist: Louis Lafon (French, active 1870s–90s)
- Date: 1870s–80s
- Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
- Dimensions: Image: 36.6 x 47.9 cm (14 7/16 x 18 7/8 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2008
- Object Number: 2008.147
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Louis Lafon
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